Japan's Oka wins men's all-around gymnastics

Shinnosuke Oka secures victory in men's all-around final at Paris Games (0:52)

Explore the statistics behind Shinnosuke Oka's significant triumph in the men's all-around final representing Japan at the Paris Games. (0:52)

Associated Press

Jul 31, 2024, 03:27 PM ET

PARIS -- Shinnosuke Oka from Japan clinched the men's all-around gymnastics championship at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, causing a stir by triumphing over the two primary favorites in a highly competitive event.

The previous junior world champion claimed the title with a total of 86.832 points, surpassing Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng, both hailing from China, to secure his second gold medal within three days at his inaugural Olympics.

Defending champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan encountered a mishap during his pommel horse routine, resulting in a sixth-place finish. Notwithstanding Hashimoto's challenges, Japan celebrated another victorious evening after orchestrating a impressive comeback in the team final on Monday, narrowly outperforming China in the final stages.

Zhang, alongside Hashimoto, was viewed as a strong contender, but a shaky start on the floor exercise saw him miss out on the gold despite a commendable finish. Zhang had demonstrated dominance during the qualifiers, positioning himself ahead of the 20-year-old Oka and Hashimoto.

Oka, who clinched the junior world title at the age of 15, capitalized on the errors made by the favorites. Demonstrating excellence in his pommel horse routine, he surged into the lead after two rotations and executed a flawless vault. His performance on the parallel bars and high bar was equally remarkable.

Hashimoto and Zhang initiated the competition among the frontrunners. Hashimoto displayed exceptional prowess in the floor routine, executing precise passes and stable landings. Zhang, on the other hand, faced an unsteady start, stumbling onto the mat after landing with his hands and knees on his second pass.

This unexpected error left him trailing behind his Japanese rival by over a point. However, it was Hashimoto's turn to falter as he fell from the pommel horse due to loss of balance. Following moments of frustration, Hashimoto completed his routine and received a massage on his right shoulder, which had previously caused him some trouble during the qualifiers.

Zhang appeared to be grappling with a physical issue as well, receiving regular massages on his left arm throughout the evening.

Despite pushing until the very end, Zhang's near comeback efforts fell short. Securing a score of 15.300 on the parallel bars that brought him back into contention, he concluded his evening with a 14.633 on the high bar. However, this final effort was insufficient, resulting in a loss of the gold medal by a margin of 0.233 points.

A gripping rivalry had developed between Hashimoto and Zhang over the past three years, and both were anticipated to be the leading figures on Wednesday. Zhang claimed the title of world champion in all-around in 2021, ahead of Hashimoto, who then triumphed over Zhang the following year to secure the world title. However, it was Oka who unexpectedly rose to prominence, shining the spotlight on Japan with a fourth consecutive Olympic all-around championship.

Due to the conflict in Ukraine, there were no athletes from the dominant Russian contingent.

The women's all-around final is scheduled for Thursday. Simone Biles and her U.S. counterpart Suni Lee are poised to compete against each other as they contend for the title of the first two Olympic all-around champions.